Distribution of content

• US 7,925,973 B2
• Filed: 08/12/2005
• Issued: 04/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brightcove Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Brightcove Incorporated
• Inventors: Mason, Robert, Allaire, Jeremy
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong; Stephen S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Vaughn; Gregory J
• Application Number:
  US11/202,683
• Publication Number:
  US 20070038931A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,069 Days
• Field of Search: 715/200, 715/201, 715/202, 715/203, 715/243, 715/248, 715/249
• US Class Current: 715/248
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/48 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2111 Location-sensitive, e.g. geographical location, GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2135 Metering
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0239 Online discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0273 Determination of fees for advertising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0274 Split fees
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23892 involving embedding information at multiplex stream level, e.g. embedding a watermark at packet level
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2547 Third Party Billing, e.g. billing of advertiser
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4314 for fitting data in a restricted space on the screen, e.g. EPG data in a rectangular grid
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

Among other things, publishers of digital content are enabled each to define, for each of one or more digital content items, a style in which the digital content item is to be presented to a user and a condition under which the user may have the digital content item presented. The digital content items are stored in a content library, the styles and conditions associated with the digital content items are stored in a server. Each of the digital content items is enabled to be presented to users within presentation contexts that are accessible to the users and controlled by presentation context providers. The presentation of the digital content items includes obtaining the digital content items from the server and controlling the presentation to occur under the conditions and in the styles defined by the publishers.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

enabling offerors of digital content each to define, for each of at least one digital content item, a style in which the digital content item is to be presented to a user and an access condition under which the user may have the digital content item presented,

storing the at least one digital content item in a content library,

storing the styles and access conditions associated with the at least one digital content item in a server, and

enabling each of the at least one digital content item to be presented to users within presentation contexts that are controlled by presentation context providers,

the presentation of the at least one digital content item including obtaining the at least one digital content item from the library and controlling the presentation to occur under the conditions and in the styles defined by the offerors,

wherein the conditions and the styles for the presentation are obtained from the server after the user initiates the presentation of the at least one digital content item.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein enabling the offerors further comprises providing the offerors with a selection of predefined templates that can be customized by the offerors.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein enabling the offerors further comprises providing the offerors with the ability to create their own templates that can access the content library.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprises enabling the offerors to generate a package that includes at least one digital content item, wherein the package includes at least one of a rental, subscription, pay-to-own, and a discount applied to a bundle of content items including the one or more of the at least one digital content item included in the package.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprises enabling the offerors to generate a package that includes at least one digital content item, wherein the publisher pays the cost of distribution and delivery.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein enabling each of the at least one digital content item to be presented to users further comprises arranging the at least one digital content item as streaming video or music.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein enabling each of the at least one digital content item to be presented to users further comprises arranging the at least one digital content item in a downloadable file.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the styles define a user experience and include at least one of graphical features, sound features, inclusion of non-video elements such as text or still images, and interactive features.

9. A method comprising:

maintaining, at a server, stored information defining rights of users to receive presentations of digital content item, and

enabling each of the users to receive presentations of the digital content items for which the user has rights, from the server at any time at any location and on any one of a variety of presentation devices including personal computers, notebook computers, portable video players, digital versatile disk players, and televisions,

wherein the rights of the users for the digital content items are obtained from the server after the user initiates the presentation of the digital content items.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising providing the users with customizable tools for viewing the presentations.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising receiving a payment in exchange for the rights.

12. A method comprising

storing digital content items of offerors together with information and at least one style in which each digital content item is to be presented to a user,

wherein the information is defined by the offeror, and

enables each of the content items to be presented to users through any one of a variety of presentation channels that each provides a presentation context under the control of a presentation context provider,

wherein the style for the presentation is retrieved after the user initiates the presentation of the at least one digital content item.

13. The method of claim 12 in which the channels include at least one of web browser, networked television, email, instant messaging, rich site summary, and short message service.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising indexing the content items using the information defined by the offeror to form a catalog index.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising providing a search tool for providing information in the catalog index to a user according to searching criteria defined by the user.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein the information defined by the offeror includes at least one of:

a name, date of production, description of content and an identification number.

17. The method of claim 12 further comprising enabling the offerors to electronically establish relationships with affiliates, the digital content items being presented by the affiliates for compensation.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising enabling the offerors to grant and restrict access by the affiliates to the stored digital content items.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising providing the affiliates with a list of digital content items that are available to them.

20. The method of claim 17 further comprising enabling the affiliates to define packages of the digital content items, wherein the packages include at least one of a rental, subscription, purchase, and a discount applied to a bundle of media content items.

21. The method of claim 17, further comprising enabling the affiliates to define packages of the digital content items, wherein the affiliate pays the cost of distribution and delivery and the offeror is compensated for the usage and viewing of the digital content items.

22. The method of claim 12 wherein the digital content items include advertisements provided by advertising entities.

23. The method of claim 12 wherein the presentation context includes advertisements that generate advertisement revenue.